To celebrate our amazing Fresh Thoughts Sustainable Dining Series 2012 season, the National Aquarium is giving our fans on Facebook and Twitter the chance to win a pair of tickets to the Fresh Thoughts dinner at our Washington, DC venue next Wednesday, September 19.

Our Fresh Thoughts series gives guests a better understanding of how to make sustainable seafood choices and the opportunity to enjoy a delicious meal in the Aquarium after-hours!

From 3:30pm EST today until 3:30 pm EST tomorrow, September 14, comment on our Facebook post or send us a tweet using the hashtag #FreshThoughts telling us why you’d like to join our next Fresh Thoughts dinner. A random entry will win two tickets to our Fresh Thoughts event Wednesday, September 19, with Guest Chef Xavier Deshayes and an amazing menu featuring sea bream!

Here are the instructions:
1) Follow the National Aquarium on Twitter at @NatlAquarium and/or like our Facebook page
2) Tweet us you reason why you’d like to attend the upcoming Fresh Thoughts dinner to @NatlAquarium and include the hashtag #FreshThoughts
3) Comment on our Facebook post mentioning today’s giveaway with the reason why you’d like to attend our Fresh Thoughts dinner in Washington, DC.

Click here to find out more about our Fresh Thoughts Sustainable Dining Series at our Washington DC location!

Contest closes at 3:30pm EST on Friday, September 14, 2012. A winner will be announced at 4:30pm EST on Friday, September 14, 2012. Entrants must be 21 or older to win. Winner and guest MUST be able to attend event. If selected winner is unable to attend, the National Aquarium reserves the right to pick a new winner.

The National Aquarium’s Fresh Thoughts sustainable seafood dining series is back this fall, with events at both our Baltimore and Washington, DC, venues. We hope you will join us for one or both of these exceptional four-course prix fixe menus with wine pairings, all in the unique setting of the Aquarium at night!

Fresh Thoughts, Washington, DC

Join us in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, September 19, when Chef Xavier Deshayes will serve up a four-course meal featuring sea bream, a delicious white fish. Hear from experts about this fish and learn about the completely sustainable system at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET), which is providing the sea bream for this dinner.

About Guest Chef Xavier DeshayesA native of Beziers, France, Xavier Deshayes is the executive chef at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, which hosts some of the city’s most notable meetings and special events and is often recognized for its distinguished catering services. Chef Deshayes is on the forefront of developing sustainable and environmentally conscious menus by thoroughly researching his product sources.

Fresh Thoughts at the National Aquarium, Washington, DC, is sponsored by the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.

Fresh Thoughts, Baltimore, MD

You’ve asked for it, and it’s finally coming to Fresh Thoughts—lobster! Join us in Baltimore on Tuesday, September 25, when guest chefs Chris Becker and Omar Semidey of Fleet Street Kitchen present their menu featuring the succulent shellfish, along with fluke and rainbow snapper.

About the Guest Chefs From Fleet Street KitchenA Baltimore native, graduate of the Baltimore Culinary Institute, and veteran of several of the city’s most highly regarded restaurants, Chef Chris Becker maintains deep relationships with local farmers, foragers, and fishermen. He was named one of the top “Chefs to Watch” by Baltimore Magazine.

Born and raised in New York City, Chef Omar Semidey developed a passion for food and cooking that led him to pursue a career in the culinary arts. Omar attended the French Culinary Institute in New York City. After working with Chef Becker at The Wine Market, he rejoins him at Fleet Street Kitchen, with the goal of developing and executing an exciting, high-quality, and seasonally inspired menu.

We hope you’ll join us!

The concept of our Fresh Thoughts sustainable seafood dining series is to offer unique dining experiences themed around a sustainable seafood choice. Guests will enjoy a cocktail reception and educational demonstrations and/or discussions followed by a three-course seated dinner paired with perfectly matched wine in the tranquil atmosphere of the Aquarium after-hours.